Secret Wars

#1-12 (May 1984 - April 1985)

WRITTEN BYJim Shooter

ARTISTMike ZeckBob Layton

ISSUES#1-3, 6-12#4-5

This series marks the very first inter-company crossover event. Created to tie-in to an action figure release schedule, this event was given a simple premise when an all-powerful alien decides to test the forces of good and evil by transporting them to a desolate world to do battle. Although they are divided when they arrive, they break into further factions when Magneto allies with the X-Men and Doctor Doom enacts his own plots.

This series also had lasting repercussions on the Marvel Universe. When the series was launched, many regular Marvel titles featured changes that could only be explained by reading Secret Wars. The most notable changes include the introduction of Spider-Man's black costume (later became Venom), the Thing's departure from the Fantastic Four (to be replaced by She-Hulk), and the dissolution of the relationship between Colossus and Kitty Pryde in the X-Men.